Spun yarn, fabric made therefrom, and method of producing same



Patented Jul 7, i936 FlC SPUN YARN, FABRIC MADE THEREFROM, AND METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME Camille Dreyfus, New York, N. Y.

No Drawing. Application September 26, 1934, Serial No. 745,532

-' 'lClaims. (01411-2) tures and that contain fibres of organic deriva- V .tives of cellulose.

Another object of the invention is the production of yarns and fabrics that havean enhanced hand, and/or a lofty touch when same contain fibres of organic derivatives of cellulose and animal fibres. Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

Yarns or fabrics of organic derivatives of cellulose cannot be ironed with safety at much above 220 C. due to the thermoplastic nature of the organic derivative of cellulose. By this invention, however, yarns or filaments containing high percentages of organic derivatives of cellulose admixed with fibres containing altered esters of cellulose may be formed such that the safe ironing temperature of textiles made therefrom may v be exceptionally high. By this invention textile fabrics may be formed mainly of organic derivatives of cellulose which contain fibres of altered organic esters of cellulose that will withstand high ironing temperatures.

By this invention pleasing and useful cross ironing effects may be obtained in that the fabric may be dyed with dyes having an afiinity for only one of the constituents of the two component yarns.

In the modified form of the invention fibres other than those originating from organic derivatives of cellulose may be incorporated in the yarn. In such yarns, especially when the same are made to contain animal fibres, by this invention there is produced a lofty and wooly feel to the products made from same.

In accordance with this invention I form yarns by spinning same from a mixture of suitable fibres containing organic derivatives of cellulose. mixed with suitable fibres containing organic esters of cellulose which have been partially saponified. In the modified form, of my invention I spin with the above mixture animal fibres or animal fibres may be spun with fibres of organic esters of cellulose to'a yarn and the yarn formed into a fabric, after which the fabric may be treated so that there is a partial saponification of the fibres'containing organic esters of cellulose.

' This invention is applicable to the employment as-suitable fibres short lengths of filaments, say

from, A; to 17 inches, which contain organic derivatives of cellulose. Part of said fibres necessarily must contain organic esters of cellulose suchjthat the same may be partially saponified.

Any suitable organic derivative of cellulose may be employed such as the organic esters of cellulose and the cellulose ethers. Examples of the organic esters of cellulose are cellulose acetate, cellulose formate, cellulose propionate, and cellulose butyrate, while examples of the ethers of cellulose are methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and benzyl cellulose.

The staple fibres may be formed fromsubstantially continuous filaments containing the organic derivative of cellulose by cutting or breakinga group of such filaments as the same are formed or as a group of same are taken from a creel. The

staple fibres either before or after cutting or breaking may be treated with sizes, lubricants and other suitable materials which will adapt them for subsequent processes. I

The staple fibres containing organic esters of cellulose may be formed in a similar manner and the same treated with a caustic solution or vapor to partially saponify the same. However, if desired, the saponification of the fibres may be performed by partially saponifying the filaments prior to cutting them to short lengths or staple fibres by treating same or passing the same through a bath or vapor containing a caustic material under conditions and circumstances which will permit of the partial saponification of the filaments. Any suitable method of saponification may be employed to form the altered cellulose ester fibres. For example, there may be used the methods and reagents described inU. S. Patents Nos. 1,425,364, 1,818,466, 1,895,919, 1,897,691 and 1,920,188.

Mixtures of the staple fibres of organic derivatives of cellulose and staple fibres containing partially saponified cellulose esters may be spun to a yarn in any suitable manner. For example the two may be mixed together and spun by the woolen method, that is placing them in a somewhat parallel alignment on a cardmachine and then twisting and drawing them to a uniform yarn on a mule type spinning device... Or, if desired, the yarn may be formed by spinning the same with gill machines as employed in cotton manufacture or the s'amemay be formed into yarns by the worsted or French methods of spinning yarns from wool or by the method employed in forming "spun silk. I f' In the modified form of my invention'there may be mixed with the fibres containing: the organic derivatives of cellulose and the saponified esters of cellulose otherfibres such as wool, cotton,

. regenerated cellulose made by the viscose. or cu-.

prammonium methods, flax andsilko'r other'suitable fibres. Yarns of mixtures of these fibres-with scribed above, may be formed into fabrics by weaving, warp knitting. circular mittlng, netting, knotting or other fabricating methods. This fabric may then be dyed by any suitable cross dyeing method, or, if desired, the yarns as such .may be dyed by forcing dyes through packages of the same or drawing the yarns or the filaments from which the fibres are formed through baths containing dyes which impart color to a selected one of the components or which will dye both components. Fabrics, if not dyed in the yarn, may be batched in a bath, padded, printed, or otherwise dyed with dyes having a selective affinity for one of the components or types of material forming the composite yarn. Thus direct cotton dyes of one color that impart color to the esters that have been saponified and do not impart color to unsaponified esters of cellulose and vat dyestuffs of a different color that have an afllnity for only the organic derivative of cellulose and no effect on the saponified material, may be employed in the same bath to give to the fabric a cross dyed effect. The dyes may or may not be in the same bath, paste, ink, etc., and the dyeings may, therefore, be separate or concurrent.

In forming fabrics in which one component of theyarn used therein is an animal fibre, the yarn may be formed by spinning mixtures of staple fibres containing organic esters of. cellulose and the animal fibres by -any suitable method. The yarn may then be processed to the fabric and the fabric treated separately or concurrently with the dyeing operations with a caustic material such that the organic esters of cellulose component of the yarn is partially saponified to the extent of 5, 10, 15, 30% or more. Thus, the partial saponification may be just suflicient to lend a lofty hand to the fabric without changing the dyeing properties thereof in any way or the saponification may be carried to such an extent that the organic esters of cellulose are no longer susceptible to the dyes used in dyeing same but may be dyed with direct cotton dyes. The degree of saponification may be dependent upon the desired properties in the resulting fabric. The saponification may be performed in any suitable manner for example as described in the above listed patents and applications or by the methods and reagents described in U. S. Patents 1,866,153 and 1,882,070. Any of the synthetic materials such as fibres containing organic derivatives of cellulose or those of the organic esters of cellulose that are saponified or to be saponified may contain or have applied theigto any suitable finish or effect material. For exampleftheartificial fibres may contain such effect materials as dyes, pigments, plasticizers, sizes or lubricants.

As illustrations and not as limitations the following examples are given.

Example I lulose acetate which has been partially saponified or the surface saponified. A mixture or 50% of each of these fibres is made and the same is formed to yarns by any suitablemethod of spinning, for example the woolen method. The yarn so produced may be woven into a fabric.

The resulting fabric is found to have a safe ing animal fibres and staple fibres of an organic aosaeiy ironing temperatin'e of above 265 C. and may be cross dyed with a dye bath containing a direct cotton dye and a dye having an aflinity for organic derivatives of cellulose.

Any suitable percentage of partially saponified fibres may be employed.

Example II A yarn is produced by the woolen method of spinning containing a mixture of about 70 parts of staple fibres containing cellulose acetate and 30parts of wool fibres. The yarn may be woven in a normal manner into a fabric. The fabric may then'be treated in a bath containing a caustic material such that the fibres containing cellulose acetate are saponified to between and 30%. The material may then be dyed by a cross dyeing method and one component is colored by woolen dyes and another component is colored by direct cotton dyes and any unsaponified cel- 20 lulose acetate is colored only by dyes having an aflinity for cellulose acetate.

The fabric is found to have a very high ironing temperature even in excess of 270 C. and has an exceptionally lofty hand and a feel and appearance of an all wool fabric.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is merely given by way of illustration and many alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of producingyarns containing organic derivatives of cellulose, that are capable of withstanding high ironing temperatures, which comprises spinning a yarn from a mixture of at least two types of fibres at least one of which is staple fibres containing organic esters of cellulose and partially saponifying the fibres containing organic esters of cellulose.

2. A method of producing yarns, having a high ironing temperature and a lofty hand, which comprises spinning a mixture of fibres containester of cellulose and partially saponifying the fibres of organlc ester of cellulose.

3. A method of producing yarns, having a high ironing temperature and a lofty hand, which comprises spinning a mixture of fibres containing animal fibres and staple fibres of cellulose acetate and partially saponifying the fibres of cellulose acetate.

4. A method of producing fabrics. having enhanced textile properties, which comprises spinning to a yarn a mixture of fibres containing animal fibres and staple fibres of an organic ester of cellulose, forming the yarns to a fabric and partially saponifying the fibres of organic ester of cellulose.

5. A method of producing fabrics, having eni hanced textile properties, which comprises spinning to a yarn a mixture of fibres containing animal fibres and staple fibres of cellulose acetate, forming the yarns to a fabric and partially saponifying the fibres of cellulose acetate.

6. Yarns containing short lengths of filaments or staple fibres of organic esters of.cellulose at least a part of which are partially saponified.

7. Yarns containing animal fibres and artificial fibres containing organic esters of cellulose at least a portion of which are partially saponified.

CAME-LE DREYFUS. 

